Restoring You
by Lady Black Mage
Summary: There is much damage control to be had in the wake of defeating the Dark Gundam, including a dissolution of the relationship whose love saved the galaxy, and the mysterious SOS found in the remains of Neo-Germany's Gundam, hinting that Kyoji Kasshu may have somehow survived... [Cover art to come. Rarepair. Post-anime-ending. Final note? Screw the canon ending, it can kiss my fist.]
1. Cold Reality

**A/N: I should hope that by now I shouldn't have to do the disclaimer song and dance, but just because I've been on this site since lord-knows-when, I don't own any of G Gundam; it belongs to Sunrise. You have my embrace-your-inner-dork (aka my partner in crime) to thank for spurring me on for writing this. Takes place after the end of the anime, kind of throws the middle finger at the canon ending by going into rarepair, the general sort of drama I like to delve into. Take note that character speech patterns are based off of the presentation in the English dub, which is what I watched and know best.**

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Chapter 1: Cold Reality

All was as it should be.

After all, the Dark Gundam had been defeated. Major Ulube Ishikawa's plots had been thwarted and humanity had proved once again they could rally together to preserve one another and their shared home. The newest Shuffle Alliance had brought honor to their sacred crests, Dr. Raizo Kasshu had been released from imprisonment with all charges dropped, And Domon…

The thought made Rain glow.

Domon loved her. He had said the words himself. He _loved_ her! And now, _finally_ , after all they had been through together in the past year, they were _truly_ together at last. Their love had even saved the universe from the threat of the Dark Gundam.

All was as it should be… wasn't it?

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 _My father gave his life for the chance it could help save me._

The reality of collateral damage set in unexpectedly. Broken glass crunched beneath shoes as Rain walked alongside Domon and the rest of the Shuffle Alliance, eyes sweeping over the devastation the Dark Gundam had wrought on Neo-Japan's colony. Allenby of Neo-Sweden brought up the rear and several paces ahead, Mr. Karato was entrenched in heavy discussion with other government representatives concerning the damage control and steep scrutinization Neo-Japan now faced in the aftermath of Ulube's actions. A large concern encompassed the fact that Neo-Japan would be in the hot seat in a week's time; a world military tribunal was being worked out, rumored to take place in a court in Neo-America due to a need for seating capacity.

Someone made the uncomfortably loud remark that this was a no-brainer due to all the co-conspiring guilty parties behind this mess being deceased. Rain heard this, but it took a moment for the words to sink in. Her father had been among the number involved in the conspiracy to misuse the Dark Gundam. The Shuffle Alliance had even told her Dr. Mikamura had pushed himself to get away after Ulube shot him, dying as he released Dr. Kasshu's cryogenic pod in an effort to aid them, begging for them to save his daughter.

 _He gave up his life to help them… to try to save me._

Rain's throat constricted and her eyes stung as her legs shook uncontrollably.

"Hey, Rain," Allenby spoke up, the first to notice. "You okay?"

Rain already couldn't move another step and at Allenby's question, the others around her halted. She trembled, crumpling to her knees and hitting the ground as the tears started to fall from her eyes.

"Rain?!" Domon exclaimed, startled. "What's wrong?"

She felt cold. Her trembling did nothing to drive away the sensation as her heart contracted painfully. Her tears cut hot tracks down the sides of her cheeks as a sob built in her chest. Her father was dead. She would never see him, not ever again. She took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together, but it only made her release the sob she was holding in and she fell apart.

"Rain!" Domon squatted down next to her, a hesitant hand reaching out to curl over her shoulder. The others chorused her name as she inhaled jerkily, struggling with more sobs.

"M-my father…" she whimpered. "H-he's g-g… My father is dead… He's dead and I'm never going to see him again."

A melancholy heaviness settled over them as she buried her face in her hands and sobbed harder. The hand on her shoulder gave her a squeeze and moments passed before a smaller set of arms corded with muscle wrapped around her in a concerned hug.

"Sis…" Sai's voice murmured worriedly. He offered no further comment but clung tightly as she wept.

 _We saved the world… so why does it feel like it's falling apart all around me?_

"Rain, I'm sorry," Domon's voice said, halting and uneasy as he tried to comfort her. He had never been good with emotional empathy through words. "There was nothing we could do. Your father sacrificed himself to give us a chance to win."

From a cold, clinical standpoint, she knew that. Her father had made a noble, selfless decision of his own accord and no one could have swayed him from it. In the end, his body had been lost during the firefight and that couldn't be helped. And yet there was still some part of Rain, some remnant of a little girl sobbing from heartbreak inside her, someone who wanted to angrily snap that they could have done _something_!

"I am sorry, Miss Mikamura," Commissioner— no, Prime Minister Karato's voice intervened. "But I actually meant to ask you something concerning that matter specifically."

Sniffling, she looked up at him and wiped her eyes. Rain's interaction with the former commissioner had always been minimal; their paths rarely crossed. Her father had had mixed feelings about Karato, but the man had shown surprising concern for the citizens of the Neo-Japan colony during the Dark Gundam's attack. Ultimately he was a good person, if a little ambitious, and had won the approval of the Shuffle Alliance. He regarded her now with an uncomfortable, sad expression and adjusted the front of his coat before continuing.

"I realize this isn't an ideal time to make this request of you," he began, swallowing nervously. "But I humbly ask that you join us at the military tribunal for Neo-Japan, as a witness to speak on our behalf."

They wanted her on the witness stand? Somewhere in the back of of her mind, Rain knew the technicality of what that entailed, but at that moment her brain just refused to process anything. She was slowly sinking into the bottom of a dark well as the world turned more and more gray, drenched in the cold mist of grief.

"Whoa, wait, hold on!" another voice interjected behind her. Neo-America's fighter, Chibodee Crockett sounded as though he was getting fired up. "You can't just ask her that!"

 _Thank you, Chibodee,_ her thoughts supplied gloomily. _But it doesn't really matter._

"Really, have you no sensitivity?" Neo-France's young knight, George de Sand spoke up. "This young lady has already gone through much and she's had no time to recover. Just asking her so bluntly to join in the trial proceedings is the height of rudeness!"

"Yeah, leave Sis alone!" Sai snapped, glaring up at the older man. "She's still hurting!"

She didn't look up to see, but Rain could imagine Karato was probably shifting uneasily. She continued to stare down at her hands resting limply in her lap, without really seeing them. A part of her was missing, gone forever. What was she supposed to do?

"Forgive me for interrupting just to play the devil's advocate," another familiar voice chimed in. "But I'm afraid Mr. Karato has a point. Even if he didn't ask her now, it is very likely Ms. Mikamura would be summoned to the witness stand regardless."

Vaguely Rain recognized the speaker as Neo-Russia's Nastasha Zabigov and wondered when in the world she had joined their little procession. Then again, Nastasha's fate and Argo Gulskii's had been thrown in together for some years now. It could hardly be considered surprising that wherever Argo went, Nastasha wouldn't be far behind.

"She's absolutely right," Karato admitted. "I would be very shocked if you _didn't_ receive a court order. I know you went through a lot but it's precisely because of that you'll be considered a key witness to those events. So, please… I know it's a lot to ask of anyone, but please consider taking the stand for the sake of our colony and our country." He glanced in Domon's direction briefly, as if to heavily hint that he too needed to attend the tribunal. Rain took his words in, hoping that it would give her something to focus on, but she continued to feel hollow and utterly empty. However, some part of her knew it would do no good to ignore the new prime minister's request. Sooner or later it was almost guaranteed she would end up in that courtroom.

"Y-yes… alright," she finally murmured, staring off at nothing. Sai Saici gave a start and gave her shoulders a squeeze.

"No, Sis, you don't have to do this," he tried to protest, shaking his head. "You've already gone through enough!"

"I agree," George spoke up. "Unless you receive an official court summons—"

"I think she should do it."

An instant hush fell around them. Everyone's eyes shifted to Domon Kasshu with varying expressions of stunned shock. At this even Rain glanced up, blinking in surprise. Had… Domon…? Had Domon really just said that? He looked her in the eyes and gave a slow nod. Her spirit sank, if it was possible, even lower than before. She had hoped that Domon at least, out of everyone, would be indignant and outraged on her behalf. His initial silence had been admittedly odd, but she never would have expected him to _agree_ with what Karato was saying.

"Domon?" she asked, not entirely sure why he was being so calm and pliant for once.

"I think Rain should go on the stand as a witness," he said, loud enough for all to hear. "Neo-Japan is going to need someone for that anyway, so we might as well cooperate and get it over with sooner than later, right?"

His sudden support seemed to throw everyone off-kilter.

"Well, er, yes," Karato stuttered, "I can't promise the process will necessarily be a speedy one, though. Any sort of trial can take weeks, even months to resolve. Ms. Mikamura may be called to the stand more than once before all is said and done."

Rain turned to look at everyone around her, hoping someone might try to talk Domon out of this. To some degree, she even hoped he might be discouraged from the decision due to the uncertain time frame; he wasn't exactly known for his great patience when it was put to the test, after all. But no, he didn't appear ready to argue over the matter.

"I'm sure Rain doesn't mind," he declared boldly. He looked at her again and gave a tiny nod. "It's for the greater good for everyone, right? Besides, don't you always say it's better to rip off a bandage faster than slower?"

 _I've never said anything like that to him directly,_ she thought. _At least not that I recall. But is everyone really okay with this? Am_ I _really okay with this?_

Truthfully she wasn't sure. Worst still, the fact he had a point fueled her sense of uncertainty. But she was so tired; she felt so tired already and so overwhelmed by the loss of her father. She didn't see a lot of point in really arguing over it all.

"Yeah," she murmured. "I guess you're right."

There were soft, uneasy exhales all around her.

"Rain," Allenby asked hesitantly. "Are you really sure?"

"If it needs to be done, then it needs to be done," she answered the younger girl, her voice dull and quiet. "I'll go as a witness."

Karato nodded as if this settled the matter and inclined his head respectfully. "Then we shall send an escort promptly to shuttle you to the proceedings in the Neo-American colony. The tribunal is set to begin in three days' time. And, er… thank you, Ms. Mikamura."

Rain made a non-committal noise and looked away, not wanting to meet anyone's eyes. The officials resumed their marching ahead, leaving them all behind temporarily. A heavy pause prefaced a worried outburst, again from Allenby, to Rain's half-hearted surprise.

"Are you guys _kidding_ me?! If you let her go in as a witness, couldn't they decide to put her on trial for what happened?!"

"Not necessarily, no," Nastasha spoke up for a second time. "When the original United States of America first instituted the use of military tribunals to interrogate enemy soldiers in a trial setting, they explicitly made certain civilians wouldn't be tried in these sorts of proceedings."

"Are you sure that's not changed since then, _mademoiselle_?" George inquired.

There was a moment of hesitancy before Nastasha answered. "Well naturally, we have no absolute guarantee—"

"I'll look into it," Chibodee interrupted. "Hey, it has to do with my home country, right? The gals and I'll figure out if there's anything to worry about. Just leave it all to me!"

Rain twisted around to look up at him. All grins and confidence, Chibodee had thumped his fist to his chest, his green eyes bright and eager. Rain attempted to smile up at him, but the effort was monumental and in the end she didn't believe she had done more than twitch her mouth briefly. Still, his desire to help was touching.

"Are you sure, Chibodee?" she asked.

"You bet, Rain! We'll make sure they don't try to pull anything over on ya!" he vowed.

This time she did manage a tiny, if brief, smile. "Thank you," she said, before shakily getting to her feet.

"Rain?" Domon asked, reaching out to support her by the elbow. "Are you alright?"

What a loaded question. She was far from alright, but it served no purpose to argue with Domon about it in that moment. Still, even the newly-appointed prime minister could tell she was upset, and lying would serve even less purpose than arguing. If anything, she was completely overwhelmed and exhausted by all of this.

"I'm— I'm really tired," she admitted truthfully. "Please, if we could find someplace where I can lay down and rest—"

Domon gave a nod and put an arm around her shoulders. "Sure," he said at once, before glancing back. "I'll catch up with you all in a while."

Rain looked back at her friends, feeling even more overwhelmed by the collective sympathy she saw in their expressions. She just caught Sai and Allenby exchanging concerned looks as she glanced away and struggled to keep walking on legs that threatened to give out at any second. She needed rest.

What was more, she needed time to grieve, and— she swallowed roughly, fighting a guilty twinge— she wasn't sure she wanted to do that in Domon's presence.


	2. Asphyxiate

****A/N: If you all thought I'd forgotten about this, I've just proven you wrong. I'll say this though, this chapter had me moving at a snail's pace for a long time. I've never written a courtroom scene of any variety before, and this was WAY outside of my comfort zone. I'm so glad I've completed this chapter at last though; thank God for Camp NaNoWriMo! Additionally, if you've read the first chapter of this forever ago, I do recommend going back for a re-read, as well as reading through the recent oneshot I posted, which takes place prior to this fic's events. [I also would love some kudos and reviews on AO3 if you have me added on there, but I'll still take comments on here too.]****

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Chapter 2: Asphyxiate

"Will the witness please come forward and take the stand?"

Rain lifted her head a fraction, lowering her hands as her heart pounded in her chest. Why did she feel so anxious? Maybe three days hadn't been enough time to prepare. Certainly it hadn't been any time at all to work on processing the events that had occurred in the wake of the battle royale. Everything was happening so fast...too fast. As she approached the witness stand, the air seemed to slowly get sucked out of the courtroom and the walls steadily loomed closer and closer.

 _Run!_ her instincts screamed at her. _Get out of here, it's not safe! You can't breathe and everyone's watching you! Run, run now!_

But of course her feet betrayed her and she moved right to the witness stand, coming to a halt in order to swear an oath. She took deep, steadying breaths as she placed a hand on a worn, leather-bound book and recited an affirmative that she would only speak the truth before those assembled. Aside from the occasional muffled cough, the silence was absolute throughout the room. Even so, the energy and attention of those collected weighed heavily on her as she stepped up into the box and took her seat. She had a brief moment to look around, to take in the scene before her.

All around, colony leaders—both political and military—were sitting up or leaning forward in their seats. Everyone wanted to hear an explanation for what happened. Everyone wanted somewhere to point the finger of blame for the incident with the Dark Gundam. So far Neo-Japan was shaping up to be the scapegoat for that, and for good reason. Rain was just worried that somehow she was going to botch the issue even further. Not too far away she caught Domon's eye as he watched, his expression stony and grim. Around him the Shuffle Alliance, their teams, and Neo-Sweden's representatives watched with varying levels of concern and sympathy. Seated with them and quietly awaiting his own turn on the witness stand was also Doctor Raizo Kasshu. Empathy and regret shown in the older man's eyes as he regarded her. With a surge of gratitude for all of them, Rain inhaled and tried to stay calm as a prosecutor stepped toward her for questioning.

"The witness's name is Rain Mikamura?" he asked, for confirmation more than anything.

"Yes," she answered.

"And you are twenty years of age?"

"Twenty-one, sir," she corrected. She had almost forgotten, but her birthday had come and gone before the tournament was over, and so had Domon's. "I don't know if the file was updated since our participation in the Gundam Fight."

"You participated in the Gundam Fight tournament?" the inquisitor said sharply, and Rain bristled slightly and sat up a bit straighter.

"No," she replied. "I did not personally take part in the fight officially. I was Neo-Japan's mechanic and crew for both Shining Gundam and Burning Gundam."

The man made a small hum and paced a few steps before speaking again. "You were chosen by Major Ulube Ishikawa and your father, the late Dr. Mikamura specifically to be the crew member to Neo-Japan's fighter, Domon Kasshu. Why was that?"

"To tell you the truth, sir, I'm not really sure why," she said, shaking her head. "Even my…" she choked on the word, hesitating at the stabbing pain she felt in her heart. "My father also did not know why Major Ulube Ishikawa ordered him to involve me; he merely speculated the reasoning was due to the fact Domon and I knew one another as children."

The prosecutor twisted where he stood to look around at Domon, whose stony expression didn't shift in the slightest.

"Interesting," he remarked. "And yet you learned of their true intentions concerning the Dark Gundam, did you not?"

Rain tensed. Was he trying to imply she was an accomplice in what had happened? Steeling herself and trying to maintain a neutral expression, she held her head high and answered, "I learned that they had ulterior motives while the Gundam Fight's battle royale was taking place." A few whispers started to buzz around the courtroom and she kept speaking, not about to be silenced. "Neo-Germany's fighter, Schwarz Bru—" she nearly choked again at the thought of another loss, another man who was practically family himself, and shoved aside those memories fiercely, trying not to think of the last several times she had been near him and what had transpired. "Schwarz Bruder, who turned out to be an android clone of Kyoji Kasshu made from DG cells, revealed the original attempt at apprehending the Ultimate Gundam was made by my father and Major Ulube. The story was later doctored and falsified to make it seem as though the military and government had uncovered a plot to subjugate Earth and the colonies using the Dark Gundam. My father confessed the truth to me in light of Schwarz's story, that he and the major had planned to capture and use the damaged Dark Gundam for their own aims. My father felt conviction for his actions, and promised once the tournament was ended he would return to the colony to confess everything, and pay for his crimes accordingly."

The buzz of chatter from those present filled the room, but Rain did her best to ignore the snippets of conversation that reached her ears. She focused all of her attention on the prosecutor, who appeared to be stalled by her answer. Either he had been expecting her to panic or else her straightforward honesty threw him off. The thought did nothing to ease the notion he was trying to suggest she was implicit in the matter. After another moment he cleared his throat, aiming to regain steam.

"Y-yes, well. You eventually found out."

"Correct," Rain answered, not about to let him continue with the implication. "In fact, when the fleet from Neo-Japan readied to return to the colony, I offered to return with them and accept whatever fate might await my father with him."

The chatter grew louder, shock and amazement underlying the voices she heard. The prosecutor's eyes glinted as a loud bashing sound denoted a gavel slamming against its pedestal. At the call for order, the room fell quiet and Rain caught sight of Domon plunking himself back down into a seat with a grouchy expression on his face as he crossed his arms. Instinctively she then glanced to Dr. Kasshu, who gave a near-imperceptible shake of his head at her, his face blank. Did he disapprove of her statement? Ice plunged into her stomach. Had she just made a huge misstep in admitting to her initial desire to share her father's sentence for his crimes?

"Your Honor," the prosecutor said, his gaze continually flicking to Rain and the jury as he addressed the judge. "It sounds to me as though the witness is actually offering to be tried as an accomplice to her father's crimes. Wouldn't this entire tribunal—"

"Objection, Your Honor," the defense attorney cut in sharply, her voice carrying over the buzz of shocked gossip in the courtroom. "Mr. Huang's statement is leading, and attempting to demonize the witness who, I will remind the jury and all assembled, was a victim as well."

"Sustained," the judge said. "Mr. Huang, please try to keep your statements relevant to the case."

"But Your Honor," Huang said smoothly, "this _is_ relevant. Here we have the daughter of one of the—I'll say _conveniently deceased_ —culprits, offering to pay the price for the crimes committed against all nations."

Rain's heart ached and her stomach vanished, even as the attorney spoke up to argue again. She didn't know which hurt worse, the callous devaluing of her father's life and death, or the prosecutor's push to see her sentenced in his place. Not for the first time, she wished she could simply disappear; perhaps agreeing to be a witness had been a worse choice than she initially thought. She tried to reassure herself it would be alright— _at least I have Domon here has moral support_ —but even that thought offered no true comfort as she sought out his face among the crowd and saw him glowering angrily, Chibodee's and George's expressions of concern on either side of him.

"She did _not_ offer to stand trial for everything that occurred since being taken against her will to weaponize the Dark Gundam for Major Ishikawa's purposes," said the defense. "For which Miss Mikamura is _also_ innocent."

The last thought was probably added in for her benefit as much as it was to cut off the prosecutor, but there was no comfort in that either. A deep, black chasm was yawning open beneath her and she was beginning a free-fall into it.

Nothing changed the truth of what had happened: she had been absorbed so deeply into the Dark Gundam that she'd nearly _become_ it. It had _fed_ on every emotion in hear heart and used her, used everything she felt, every secret pain, every selfish and harmful impulse, every ounce of internalized loathing as its own.

Symbiotic, that's what it had been. The thing had fed off of all her pain and in turn, protected her as its core life unit. Horrid, ugly, invasive and violating. Even the thought of the Dark Gundam itself left her feeling sick and tainted all over again, and her skin crawled with the physical memory of its slithering coils possessively seizing her.

Really, no matter what anyone spoke to the contrary, a tiny part of her continued to say in unpleasant, silent whispers "This is _your_ fault. _You_ did this, because you were hurt and deep down, you wanted to make others hurt too. _You_ did this."

Habit made her want to speak up and give voice to those thoughts, however illogical and damning, but her throat closed up and her chest began to tighten. She _was_ starting to struggle with breathing.

"Miss Mikamura?"

She wasn't sure who spoke. She shook her head to clear it, but the end result was worse. Now she felt dizzy in addition to everything else.

"Miss Mikamura, are you feeling alright?"

"Of course she's not alright, look at her!" Domon's shout filled the room as he shot to his feet. "You're overwhelming her!"

A massive stir rose in response and the judge repeatedly slammed down the gavel.

"Order, order! If you cannot restrain yourself, young man, you will be forcibly removed. This is a tribunal. If you have something to say, then you should have been brought on as a witness."

She didn't look to see what the response might be; she was shaking so badly it took all of her strength just to grip the edge of the witness box in an attempt to steady herself. Vaguely she tried recalling what Chibodee and Nastasha had said about civilians in military tribunals, but the words swam incoherently around and around in her head.

"Your Honor, Miss Mikamura seems to be taking ill. Motion to temporarily dismiss her from the witness stand on the grounds she is currently unfit to answer any further questions."

Those weren't her words or those of her friends, but they swam in her head as well, enough that she wasn't sure if they were real or she had imagined them. But then someone stepped up to the stand to lead her out, a firm but gentle grip on the arm ushering her from the room, and she realized she _hadn't_ conjured the words up in her panic as a hope for escape. Murmurs flying around the room fell away, and she didn't register Domon calling her name as she stepped through a side door and entered a back hallway. The stranger escorting her took her past several closed doors before they reached one and she was ushered into a small room with a kitchenette and table surrounded by cushioned chairs.

"Here," the gentleman who'd led her said, coaxing her into one of the chairs. "Try to relax and breathe. Can I get you anything? A glass of water or something to sip?"

"Water would be nice, thank you," she answered, attempting a grateful smile. But she barely looked up before her expression faltered and instead she cast her gaze down once more as she hugged her arms and tried to focus on her breathing. Deep and even breaths, and hopefully she wouldn't be moments away from passing out from hyperventilation.

 _Think, Rain,_ she said to herself as she took a few deep, shuddering inhales. _You can't get this worked up; you agreed to do this. Calm down. You can't pass out._

The man bustled about in the kitchenette and seconds later he was handing her a bottle of water. She murmured a small thanks and he told her he would be back in a moment with someone to examine her if she wanted him to.

"N-no, thank you. I think I just need some space to breathe," she said.

"Are you certain you don't want someone to look you over?"

She shook her head. "I'll let you know if I change my mind, thank you."

Mercifully he relented and stepped out of the room as Rain opened her water bottle and sipped at it. The silence and comfy atmosphere of this room—an employee break room perhaps?—was a blessed relief to her nerves. She already felt less stifled. For several moment she focused on her breathing, breathing and sipping the water, but anxiety continued to push thoughts into her head.

Surely she hadn't stalled the proceedings, had she? No, no surely not. There was more that had to be gone over. Perhaps they would call upon Dr. Kasshu...but the look he'd given Rain earlier made her stomach abruptly churn.

Was there more to his look than the context of her being a witness in the tribunal? No, there couldn't be, that wouldn't make sense. Then again, she hadn't ever anticipated her own father's loathing of Domon, much less her ties to him.

Those thoughts twisted into two separate, distinct coils of heartache and despair. What would she do if Raizo Kasshu disapproved of her relationship with Domon? _Did_ he disapprove? And her father…

Tears slipped free as her eyes burned and she almost crushed the water bottle in her grip. Three days hadn't been _nearly_ enough time to truly mentally prepare for this tribunal, and it certainly wasn't enough time to mourn her father. Whatever else he had been, whatever else he had done, he was still her father and had been the last remaining member of her family. And now...now, even with Domon in her life, a tiny part of Rain still felt alone and adrift in an ocean without end.

As for Dr. Kasshu, he and her father had been best friends for decades, up until Neikan Mikamura had betrayed Raizo for his own ambitions. Rain's stomach knotted over and in on itself. When he looked at her earlier, had Raizo Kasshu been remembering her father's treachery? Did he secretly fear that she too, might turn against him? And if he did, surely he didn't approve of Domon being in a romantic relationship with her.

Not that Rain found she could blame him if that was the case. He probably couldn't look at her without remembering the last time he had seen her father, moments before being forced to submit to cryostasis. Those same moments where he was betrayed by the military, by her father, and watched as they killed his wife when she tried protecting their elder son. Yes, it was probably those moments he thought of when he looked at Rain now, those awful memories of the last time he saw his beloved Mikino and Kyoji alive.

 _Kyoji…_

Memories flooded her mind's eye. Kyoji, helping her and Domon with their homework when they were children. Kyoji carrying Domon on his shoulders while Rain took pictures of them with the new camera she was so proud of. The devastation on his handsome face when he and his parents explained to her that Domon had decided to stay on Earth after a trip to the Guyana Highlands, to train under the tutelage of the then-mysterious man known only as "Master Asia". Kyoji, sweeping her into a proud, laughing hug when she had been accepted into her first choice university two years early, a hug that left her light-headed with unexpected giddiness. The heart-wrenching, horrific news that Kyoji had allegedly stolen the gundam he'd worked on with his father and planned on using its cells to enslave humanity. Seeing Kyoji in the tunnels of the old subway beneath Shinjuku, both relieved that he was alive and yet dreading that he truly had become a monster. The utter tangle of emotions upon the reveal that Schwarz Bruder was Kyoji, that he'd been looking after them the whole time in secret, the most tragic victim in all of this. Kyoji, pressing soft, tender kisses against her forehead as she drifted in and out of sleep.

Her face flooded with heat. No, _that_ had to have been a dream or a product of an overactive imagination. Her better memories of Kyoji and of Schwarz, and the time she spent with each of them were overlapping and causing her to imagine things that didn't happen. Stress from this whole ordeal was getting to her, that was all.

Although, there had been one confusing if not surreal moment when she had that heart-to-heart with Schwarz, a memory she had buried up until this point…

She was jolted out of her thoughts by the door to the room being thrown open as Domon charged in, Chibodee and George hot on his heels.

"Hey!" someone in the hall yelled. "You can't just—"

"Shut up!" Domon shouted back over his shoulder before dropping into a crouch next to Rain's chair and seizing her hands, water bottle and all. "Rain, are you alright?!"

She faltered for a breath, forcing her thoughts as far away from where they'd been going as she could. "Er, y-yes Domon, I'm starting to feel a little better." She attempted a reassuring smile but it felt brittle on her face. "I just...need a little time to collect myself in a space where I don't feel like I'm suffocating."

"And nobody can fault you for that, _mademoiselle_ ," George said quickly, his tone kind and soothing. "The way things were starting to look out there, I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Huang may need to be removed from the case and investigated. He seems a little _too_ eager to want to point the finger of blame on a single person."

"I thought you said they couldn't do that?" Rain asked a little desperately, looking past Domon to Chibodee. "That a citizen technically can't be tried as a guilty party in a military tribunal?"

"Technically no," Chibodee said, his expression turning grim. "It isn't allowed, but I would betcha anything that creep's going to try and find a loophole."

"Oh." Perhaps it had been pointless to hope for a purely optimistic answer. While his concern and suspicions weren't unappreciated, she felt her heart sinking farther and farther.

"Don't worry, Rain," Domon said at once, and she realized some of what she was feeling had to be evident on her face. "We're not gonna let that happen! No matter what, we're not going to let them punish you for what that scum Ulube did!" He released her hands in order to clench his fists and added, "I swear it by the crest on my right hand, if they so much as try, I'm going to punch them all out myself!"

She suppressed a groan; the last thing this situation needed was the Shuffle Alliance's King of Hearts starting a physical altercation with anybody because he was trying to protect her from a believed miscarriage of justice. "Domon, not that I don't love you for being willing to do that for me, but I don't think you're allowed to, much less that you should even _entertain_ the idea."

He frowned at her, but it was Chibodee who spoke up in the lull.

"I... _think_ what he means is that we've got your back, and we're willing to do whatever it takes to help keep ya safe."

"Yes, with _that_ I concur," George added, turning to look at Rain and covering his heart with his right hand as if proclaiming a vow. "No matter what, we're in this with you, miss."

"You betcha," Chibodee said. "You don't gotta go through this by yourself. We're not just your friends, we're all family, so remember you've always got us to fall back on."

A small tremor went through Rain and her throat closed up with the swell of emotion she felt at their support. More tears stung in the corners of her eyes, but she quickly reached up to brush them away, sniffling and taking a few quick breaths in an effort to hold herself together.

"Thank you, all of you," she said. "I can't even begin to tell you what your support means right now." After taking a few more moments to reach a semblance of full composure once again, she asked, "Did Sai Saici and Argo stay in the courtroom?"

"Yes, I believe they wanted to make certain we could be caught up on any developments once we returned," George answered, though his tone sounded hesitant.

"You think you're ready to go back in there, Rain?" Domon asked, his brows knitting together. His expression was difficult to read; he seemed to be working through conflicting emotions she couldn't identify.

"To be honest with you, I'm really not sure," she said softly. "I don't feel like this has been nearly enough time for me to recover enough to go back. I want to be able to breathe again."

She watched his jaw work and his face twist with indecision, like he had more to say but didn't know how to get it out. Finally he sprung to his feet, huffing a sigh and throwing his hands up in exasperation.

"Just forget it!" he snapped, spinning on his heel and marching for the door, leaving her reeling in shock and confusion.

"Hey! Domon!" Chibodee raised his voice, charging right after his friend. George frowned after them both, clicking his tongue in disapproval. Rain thought she heard him mutter "heavy-handed" under his breath before he turned and gave her a sympathetic look.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it the way it sounded, Miss Rain."

Her gaze drifted down to her lap. The water bottle in her hand was slick with condensation and she briefly considered putting it to her forehead out of a desire for comfort and something to soothe. She hadn't expected _that_ reaction from Domon, though she felt stupid for not anticipating it regardless. Hadn't she been traveling with him for over a year now? She should know the ins and outs of his moods, his reactions, his tempter, the way he might respond when under stress. To say nothing of how much he must have been struggling to keep quiet in the courtroom!

 _But that doesn't mean he can't hurt you,_ a nasty little voice whispered in her mind, alien yet unsettlingly familiar all at once. _Or that he won't. After all, he just did._

They would get through this. They'd already endured worse together. But when all was said and done, they would need to have a serious talk about their relationship and how they communicated.

 _I can't go back to the way it was before. Not if we're going to be a couple. He needs to understand that. We both do._

"I'm sure you're right, George," she said, exhaling heavily. "I'm sure you're right."

* * *

Domon didn't slow his stride even as he heard Chibodee catching up to him, but continued forward with the same intent, restless energy as it boiled inside him. He clenched his fists as his arms swung at his sides, twin pendulums moving in time to his step. It was already hard to keep his cool, and he was itching for something to punch.

"Hey!" Chibodee said again, abruptly at his side and wearing a disapproving scowl that Domon caught in his peripherals. "What the heck was that all about?! Why'd you go and say that to Rain?"

He gave a small snort, deliberately avoiding eye contact. "You wouldn't understand."

"Oh, yeah?" Chibodee swung around so fast, blocking the path ahead that Domon was forced to stop mid-step. "Try me. What's so bad about her needing space from the witness stand that you've gotta—"

"Shut up!" Domon snarled, swinging a fist forward in a shaky punch that his friend caught with a reflexive block. "Just shut up! You don't get it! This is my fault! _I'm_ the reason she agreed to go on the witness stand, _I'm_ the one who pushed her to do this!" He swung his other fist, only for Chibodee to block it with a forearm. "She got overwhelmed, and it's my fault!"

With a patient sigh and a tug on his fist, Chibodee pulled him to the side, near a large window that looked outside. "Awright pal, look," he began. "First of all, you aren't some creep interrogating Rain and makin' a buncha fishy remarks, so that's not even on you. Second, doncha think maybe Rain might've agreed to this for her own reasons?"

Instantly he was mollified, feeling mild embarrassment creeping in. Truthfully he was getting so worked up about, well, _everything_ and in all the stress and tension, he hadn't worked through those thought processes on his own. The tension began to ease out of his body little by little, and he realized how high his shoulders had hiked up only once he lowered them.

"And another thing," Chibodee went on, lowering his voice, "if that's really what was eatin' ya, why didn't you just say that instead?"

"Well, I…" He faltered, looking down at his feet and chewing his lower lip. How was he supposed to really word what he was thinking when there was so much _stress_ stirred up in his head like a tornado? He didn't think that maybe he could express that concern to Rain; what were you supposed to do when you became a couple, especially if you had been just friends with the person your whole life and you were comfortable with that? Even if the idea of admitting such a fear to her outright wasn't daunting in and of itself, what good was it? It wasn't as if he could change anything about the situation they were in with this tribunal.

"Because I can't _do_ anything about this mess," he finally answered, letting out a deep breath and feeling suddenly very tired.

Chibodee's expression softened a bit and he opened his mouth, but never got a chance to voice his response. At that same moment, Domon heard something or someone rushing up behind him and turned just in time to catch a glimpse of a fast-moving blur that grabbed at his cape and skidded to a halt with an urgent " _bro!_ "

"Sai Saici?!"

"Hey, what's goin' on, short stop? Where's the fire?"

"Listen," Sai hissed, glancing between them with an uncharacteristically grave look. "Mister and I were gonna stay in the courtroom, but I saw something odd going on, so I snuck outta my seat to investigate, and bro…I think you'd better see this."

Domon exchanged a quick, worried glance with Chibodee before nodding at their younger friend. Sai gestured for them to follow as he scampered back down the hall, and they took off after him at a brisk pace, propelled forward by the strange sense of urgency his words had instilled. They didn't have to go far before Sai slowed to a stop near the corner of a three-way intersection in the halls.

"Whaddaya think this is about?" Chibodee murmured near Domon.

"No idea," he whispered back before Sai shushed them, pressing a finger to his lips and indicating they needed to look around the corner. Puzzled, the other two complied, trying to stay as cautious and quiet as possible.

What they saw was totally unexpected.

Several paces down the adjacent hall stood Dr. Raizo Kasshu, engaged in a phone call, his face troubled and his voice quiet. Standing with him was a man none of them knew, but had seen sitting among the representatives of Neo-Germany back in the courtroom. He stood rigid in his crisp suit, his posture speaking to a military background, and his eyes never left Raizo Kasshu. The conversation on the phone must have been drawing to a close, because Raizo straightened up and said, just loud enough they were able to catch it, "Don't worry, I'll be there. I promise I'll do whatever I can to help. Yes, of course...trust me, I need no bribing. I'm more invested in this than you know."

With that, he ended the call and handed the phone to the man standing with him. His companion seemed relieved by what he'd heard and smiled faintly.

"Good. You have my thanks, doctor."

"Don't thank me yet," Raizo said. "Save that for later, when we see what comes of this, if anything."

At this, the three edged out of sight to exchange anxious looks. Domon couldn't meet either of his friends' eyes for long though; a cold feeling was working its way up his spine. What exactly was going on?

"We shall send for you soon," they heard the stranger said.

"Not too soon," Raizo said quickly. "Use discretion. Too many people are on edge right now. The last thing we need is anyone interfering."

The conversation must have ended there, for the next thing they heard was the sound of departing footsteps moving further away. Tension laced the abrupt silence, and Domon fidgeted with his gloves, adjusting and re-adjusting them on his hands. Were it anyone else, he likely wouldn't hesitate to immediately go confront them and demand answers regarding what he had witnessed. But this was his father, who'd been trapped in a cryogenic state for over a year while Domon competed for the chance to free him. He hadn't even seen his dad for ten years prior to being approached by Neo-Japan's government, and regardless he barely remembered ever being able to easily communicate with him. The thought of trying to go up to him right now and demand an explanation really shouldn't have been a daunting one, but it was.

"Bro, why do you think your dad was talking to a guy from Neo-Germany?"

Sai Saici's whispered question brought him back to his senses, at least for a second.

"I'm not sure," he replied, keeping so quiet he almost wasn't sure he was actually making sounds at all. "My guess is it has to do with my br—with my brother and, um...Schwarz."

"You sure?" Chibodee asked, leaning in closer to be heard. "That didn't exactly sound like some simple conversation, and we didn't hear them mention anything about him."

Domon hung his head, feeling the weight of everything from the past year up to this moment pulling him down. "No, I'm not sure. But right now, I've got to believe it's something like that. I don't think I can handle much more."

No, that wasn't quite right; he _knew_ he couldn't take much more. He needed to cling to something positive, _some_ shred of hope in all the madness going on.

Sai gave him a look of pure compassion while Chibodee gripped his shoulder in a reassuring squeeze, and Domon felt the wild storm in his mind subside, if only a little.


	3. Ghost In The Machine

**A/N: Short chapter, but eh, worth it. Special thanks to my bestie Jay, who started unofficially Beta-reading this for me~.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Ghost In The Machine

[ALL SYSTEMS FAILURE. SUBROUTINE PROTOCOL SUSPENDED. OPERATING SYSTEMS RECOVERY SHUTDOWN IN PROGRESS.]

What makes us human?

[...]

Is it the fear of death?

[...]

Is it our proclivity for camaraderie, and the power we draw from those bonds as they strengthen?

[CORE SYSTEMS RECONNECTED TO HOME MAINFRAME. REBOOT ATTEMPT IN PROGRESS.]

Is it love?

[INITIAL ATTEMPT FAIL. PRELIMINARY DIAGNOSTICS SCAN EXECUTE.]

Surely it is all of those things. There is more, there is always, always more to it. Naturally, for humans are all so unique and complex, from every fortune to flaw. Broken and beautiful in equal measure, humanity. Fear of death and the drive that comes from facing it is as common to mankind as courage, fellowship between friends, compassion, and especially love of every tier, in every capacity. Yes, all of these are core parts of the human spirit.

[DIAGNOSTICS SCAN COMPLETE. SYSTEM RECONNECTION STABLE. CORE OPERATING SYSTEMS FUNCTIONAL AND ONLINE. SUBROUTINE PROTOCOL RECOVERED.]

They are imprinted on the mind, on the heart…and, on the soul.

[RE-INITIALIZE?]

…

 ** _Yes_.**

* * *

 _ **Neo-Germany gundam hangar, 2 days ago**_

"The damage is so extensive, it's amazing the core mainframe and data banks are even intact. It may take some time yet to extract any of it, and even then there's no guarantee the data will be intact and transferrable."

"Please, just do what you can," the official said with a sigh, looking forlornly up at the ruin of their once-proud, magnificent mech. The machine was every bit as valiant in its devastation as its pilot had been, and it seemed an insult to the memory of Schwarz Bruder not to salvage every piece they could find on Lantau Island. Any data would be beneficial to future fighters and gundams of their nation, and any and all data they could save on Schwarz himself would be added to the commemorative service Neo-Germany had planned.

He had died a hero, and the nation would see him remembered as one.

* * *

"I don't want to do it. Something about this just gives me the creeps," one of them said.

"Anyone would be unsettled," said the other, "climbing through the husk of a ruined gundam. You aren't special. It's just creepy overall."

"Yes, well, not everyone got the short straw for data extraction duty," the first muttered. "No, it's more than that, Oskar. This doesn't feel right. It's like walking on graves."

Oskar didn't so much as turn to look at his companion as he finished inserting the remote power source connection. "Listen to you, Freidrich, you sound like an old nanny: superstitious to a fault." He waited for a second as the connection to the outside computers at ground command lit green and then spread through the rest of the decimated cockpit, slowly waking it back up. "Schwarz Bruder was a hero. I'm not as jumpy as you, but I doubt he would appreciate us _not_ doing this in his memory."

"I know, I know," Freidrich grumbled, cautiously pulling up the operating systems readouts, taking care to deactivate the mobile trace suit lines while the system tried to start up. The screens were moving slowly, almost painfully so, and once or twice they hiccuped and attempted a self-restart of the OS. But still, it was something! "Thank God," he said, more to himself than to Oskar, before paging ground command over the headset he wore. "Ground, this is Freidrich Roth. Systems are coming back online. You should have connection to the OS."

He turned and offered a relieved smile to Oskar, who grinned back and gave a thumbs-up. So far everything seemed to be going well. And yet, Freidrich still couldn't shake the uneasy sense that the cold air in the cockpit was unnatural and was watching him, waiting, aware of his every move as though ready to spring upon him when he least expected it. Contrary to Oskar's teasing, he wasn't superstitious, but he'd certainly heard enough ghost stories in his life that _something_ had him on edge, his spine tingling with nerves.

"This is ground command, reading you loud and clear, Roth," a voice answered over the headset. "We have a connection. It's slow, but solid." He almost breathed another relieved sigh, until a question came over the headset. "Hey, did you start up a subroutine program when you first opened the OS?"

"A subroutine program?" he echoed, puzzled. "No, not to my knowledge. Oskar, when you installed that external source connection, were there any subroutines programmed to automatically begin running once the gundam was back online and connected?"

His coworker regarded him with a completely baffled expression. "Last I checked, there was nothing like that coded in the hardware plugin," he said. "Ground, is this subroutine interfering with the connection or slowing it down?"

There was a pause long enough to make Freidrich twice as anxious before they finally got a response. "No, it's not. Hazarding a guess, I'd say this was probably something running before the gundam was shot out of the air." A second, shorter pause, then, "Actually, this thing seems to be executing itself at a faster or higher rate than it first was, or at least, I think it—" The answer cut off with a sharp intake of breath.

Oskar and Freidrich looked at one another, eyes wide with growing alarm, and the latter tried paging their command center again. "Ground? Ground, do you copy?"

A long silence, too long. Then…

"Cockpit team, can you pull up the full readout? I think you should see this. We _all_ need to see this."

Without a word, they rushed to the panels. But within seconds, it didn't matter. All of the available screens and readouts inside the cockpit lit up with lines of text, as if a message were being sent...or received. Throughout the entire hangar, hearts were leaping into throats as everyone reached the same conclusion at once: this had to be a final, dying message from Schwarz Bruder!

 **Rain…**

 **Rain…**

 **Find Dr. Raizo Kasshu.**

 **Find Rain Mikamura**.

Chatter came in over their headsets as everyone began speculating. Those were names in the message, but who were these people? Had Schwarz known them somehow? Had he gone knowingly to his death and tried in vain to program the gundam to contact these people for some purpose related to it?

Suddenly more lines of text began to appear, and the entire hangar went silent as they all felt the same chill that had been plaguing Freidrich this whole time.

 **I assume I have Neo-Germany to thank for bringing the mainframe back online?**

 **I am grateful beyond words already.**

 **But please hurry! You must find Dr. Raizo Kasshu, and if you can, Rain Mikamura.**

 **You know me as Schwarz Bruder. They also know me.**

 **Please hurry. Keep the mainframe connected, and I will try to explain what has happened, and what must be done.**

Silence stretched on for a time, until one person spoke, the simple response echoing off the cavernous walls for all to hear.

"Someone—someone contact the officials and leadership, let them know what's going on. Find this Dr. Kasshu, whoever he is."

The dam on the floodgates broke open. Unsettling developments or not, the crew and engineers, everyone jumped to task at once, driven and focused. It was a wild, absurd shot in the dark, but the message implied their fighter was actually still alive somehow, and if he was…

Freidrich was just shaking off the spell the message had cast on all of them when he glanced down near his feet and froze, noticing something he hadn't spotted before. Littering the edge of the cockpit floor and the wall near it like creeping moss were dozens of small, silver shards of metal. At first they just seemed clumped together, but the longer he looked, the more he thought they seemed layered in a pattern that resembled scales on a snake.

"That's odd…" he murmured to himself. On an impulse he bent down, thinking to inspect the scale-things, but Oskar abruptly cursed as he hit his head on something. Focus broken, Freidrich turned to help his companion, unaware he would forget what he'd seen before long.

Lines of text continued to scroll on the screens, going briefly, silently unnoticed as Neo-Germany's finest rushed to get their rescue plans underway.

 **Please save me…**

 **Rain...Rain...Rain...**


	4. Stake Your Name

Chapter 4: Stake Your Name

"Will the witness please state your name for the record?"

"You already know my name and it is already on the record, but I'll indulge you. My name is Dr. Raizo Kasshu," he said, crossing his arms and lifting his chin high. "And before you ask, I'll just cut to the chase myself: I am fifty-two, born and raised a citizen of Neo-Japan, husband to the late Dr. Mikino Kasshu, father of Kyoji Kasshu and Domon Kasshu...and yes, I created the machine you all came to know as the Dark Gundam alongside my wife and eldest son."

Everyone in the room stared, stunned. Whispers started up as Mr. Huang struggled and failed to give a quick response. The sheer level of vitriol in Dr. Kasshu's voice, the angry tension in his posture, and the simmering rage in his eyes weren't something a single person had anticipated. He knew it wasn't, and so he plunged on before Huang had a chance to recover.

"We completed our work on the Ultimate Gundam over a year ago. It was designed to interact harmoniously with bio-organic material, according to the dream my wife and I set out decades ago to accomplish, a goal to restore life and vitality to Planet Earth. At that time, the only other person who knew of our work in any great detail was my friend and fellow scientist, Dr. Neikan Mikamura." He halted for a beat, swallowing past the knot in his throat. It would do no good to dwell on treachery and loss right now. There had been a gross miscarriage of justice before, and by God, he wasn't going to stay silent about it! "He showed up in our laboratory the day of the Ultimate Gundam's completion, with Major Ulube and several members of the military, all armed and preparing to fire if we didn't give into their demands. I ordered Kyoji to escape in the Ultimate Gundam before it could be taken, but a physical altercation ensued. Officers seized my son and when he broke free to run for the cockpit, Major Ulube ordered him shot. My wife placed herself in the line of fire. Her death bought him enough time to escape with the gundam to Earth."

Now people were chattering in earnest, and the judge made no effort to immediately call for order, but was regarding him with a pensive frown that he was slowly turning towards the prosecution team. Mr. Huang was scrambling to formulate a response as his partner handed him a thick folder, and he riffled through its contents.

"Er, that, ah," he stammered. His attempt to find his voice caused the rest of the room to gradually quiet down, and finally he stopped flipping through the pages to look up with an uneasy expression. "It would appear some of these records tend to contra—"

"Yes, the records you have, _if_ they are complete, doubtless contradict one another. My recommendation would be to double-check the transcript dates on both of the reports or statements, as well as the names of those who logged them," Raizo said dryly.

He watched several people collectively recoil in surprise, and for all that Huang tried to glare at him, it was dulled by the embarrassed flush that spread over his face.

"Er, I was getting to that," he muttered.

"Of course," Raizo said with a humorless nod. "Then you'll note the discrepancies between the original statement and the recently amended one, and that the original statement was signed off on by none other than both men you started are, as I recall, 'conveniently dead'. The newer ones naturally have many other signatures from reliable sources, and you might also note there are forged documents for a trial I was never actually given prior to being forced into a cryogenic coffin."

Conversations grew louder for a brief instant until the gavel tapped down lightly, and then things quieted once more as the judge leaned forward, keen interest in his gaze. "Those statements sound like something best seen by all of us. Tell me, are there additional copies of these records available to the court?"

A low headache started throbbing in Raizo's temples as he waited for the copies of the compiled records to be passed out and seen by all. Stress-induced or just a side effect of being annoyed, he couldn't tell. He could always lose his temper completely and go off on everyone; certainly the idea had occurred to him, but it was followed quickly by the sobering reminder that it wouldn't be worth the trouble it would cause.

Still, he was feeling more than a little passive-aggressive over everything, and _that_ he had no intention of holding back on.

"Very well, Dr. Kasshu," the prosecutor said after considerable pause. "From what I'm reading here, the secondary report corroborates what you just said. And, as you also state, the details different from the content of the older report."

He said nothing to that.

"But here is where we ought to be looking," Huang went on, slapping a page in the folder only he could see. "In this statement and in the words you just spoke in this courtroom, you claim that you built the Dark Gundam for the purpose of 'restoring Planet Earth'. Tell us, doctor, going off of the devastation we saw your machine cause not only to the planet's surface but also to our colonies, what exactly did you intend to _do_ with the Dark Gundam? Nothing we've ever seen documented since it became active is implied to be for the Earth's benefit." He turned and made a sweeping gesture around the courtroom, no doubt to garner more attention than he already had. "Ladies and gentlemen, I put it forth to you all that we should question the validity of Dr. Kasshu's claims. After all, despite his insistence as to the Dark Gundam's original intended purpose, it has done nothing but destroy cities and take lives."

People began to murmur in response as Huang stood with his arms stretched wide at the end of his miniature spiel, and Raizo half-wished somebody would throw something at the back of the man's head. A pipe dream, really. He cleared his throat and spoke up.

"As it happens, I'm given to understand that when my Ultimate Gundam crash-landed on the planet's surface, the impact caused its central computing system to malfunction and corrupted its coding. Of course," he went on a bit more frostily, "I wouldn't know for certain, given I was _indisposed_. Perhaps if I hadn't been frozen to keep silent and had had the opportunity to look over my creation as soon as possible, then coding corruption would have been caught and the issue rectified before it cost any lives."

Huang spun around, eyes wide, and jabbed a finger at him. "Aha, a very convenient and ready answer! Tell us, do you have any way to _prove_ that monster's coding was actually corrupted by the impact, to _prove_ you didn't build a super-weapon from the start?"

Raizo bristled, glaring with all the venom he could muster at the prosecution team. He had one card left to play for a shot at proving his family's innocence in this fiasco and exposing the truth, even if he hated the thought at what it would require to make it happen.

"You'll have to forgive my theory, as computer forensics is _not_ one of my areas of expertise," he replied. "But based on what little I do know of what experts in that field are capable of, it stands to reason that if any of the gundam's parts were salvaged and seized as evidence after that final attack, then their erroneous coding can be compared against the data of the original code I _built_ the Ultimate Gundam with."

"Perhaps in theory," Huang agreed a little too quickly, "but surely you've been made aware since your revival that all of the computers and files in your laboratory were also ransacked and destroyed."

"I find it rather bold of you to assume I wasn't awake and watching them ruin my life's work after they killed my wife and shot at my son, Mr. Huang," Raizo said in as pleasant a tone as he could manage. "That aside, a scientist worth his salt always keeps multiple back-ups of his work. It is a basic necessity."

"Which," Huang said, speaking over him, "your old friend Mikamura also likely anticipated, and undoubtedly told Ulube, which is likely the reason that the Kasshu home now stands as a half-ruined husk!"

"Undoubtedly so, but as I said, multiple copies of one's scientific work are always a necessity, and with the three great theoretical abilities I was working on for the Ultimate Gundam, then it was especially necessary to have back-up copies of our work. You said my home stands in ruin, that they likely ransacked it as well, supposedly in an effort to find any of our copies. Tell me, is the solarium intact?"

Tense silence swallowed the room before Huang wet his lips and stammered "Wh-what, sorry?"

"Is the solarium intact?" Raizo repeated. "My wife's solarium. Mikino had it added onto the house when our sons were both young. She often worked up there whenever she needed peace and quiet or time away from so many computer screens. Do the reports list the solarium as destroyed or intact?"

Now he could see realization dawning on several faces, including those of his son and his son's close friends. Papers shuffled in the quiet until the prosecution team at last spoke up and admitted they were unaware of the condition of the solarium, that it was not listed in any of the files.

"Very well. Your Honor?" Raizo turned and looked up at the judge, feeling a small measure of relief as he spoke. "If the appropriate authorities were to determine the state of my _entire_ house, then I will give my full leave to a forensics team and any additional detectives to examine my wife's solarium for back-ups of our original work and coding to be used as additional evidence in these proceedings. I myself am willing to provide any possible assistance that may be required of me for such a task."

The judge folded his hands together and looked down at him, impressed despite himself it seemed.

"That's quite a risk you're willing to take, Dr. Kasshu."

"Believe me, Your Honor, I consider the risk worth it to prove the truth. My work being examined is worth it. I've waited over a year for the truth of my creation, of my wife's death, of my sons and their suffering, to be made known; my family deserves that much after everything we've been put through."

A heartbeat, then—

"Very well. It will undoubtedly take some time for the appropriate channels to be gone through, the search to be executed, and the evidence to be compared, but so be it. This tribunal will be postponed until such a time…"

He tuned the man out, merely waiting until he was dismissed from the stand to leave, his mind racing the entire time.

There was more than one motivating factor behind wanting the back-ups recovered, of course. While the need to see justice done and the truth revealed had been the primary thing he spoke of, the other was, as of currently, a very small sliver of hope he hadn't anticipated. The unexpected contact from Neo-Germany days ago had left him dumbstruck, but even so, he hadn't been able to stop contemplating the implications, the sheer enormity of what they had said to him.

He remained lost in his thoughts and theories to the point he wasn't sure where he was wandering, and only the sound of his name being called snapped him out of his head.

"Dr. Kasshu!"

"Dad!"

He stopped, looked up long enough to realize he didn't immediately know which part of the building he was in, and then turned to look behind him. Domon was jogging toward him with an entire entourage of his friends at his heels, and it was an effort not to shy away out of instinct. He loved his youngest son, but this was a nerve-wracking level of damage control that left Raizo ill at ease. Still, he tried to seem as open and attentive as possible as he acknowledged them.

"Dad, that was amazing! How'd you do that?" Domon asked the moment he was up close and personal.

"Do what, son?"

"The way you got everyone to listen to ya like that!" The one who spoke up was the tall American with wild hair whose name escaped Raizo at that moment. "You practically were running the entire thing!"

"You were certainly quite formidable on the stand," a fierce-looking woman in military attire and spectacles added. After a second he was able to place her, recalling she had introduced herself to him as Nastasha Zabigov shortly after he'd been revived from his cryogenic state. "I think you've just completely changed the course of this tribunal."

"That's the hope," Raizo murmured absently.

"Dr. Kasshu," another voice spoke up, and he watched as Rain edged her way closer. "Is there really more evidence that can be recovered?"

He gave a slight nod. "If there is any possibility that the house wasn't completely destroyed, then there should be more back-ups to find," he answered. He nearly added that Dr. Mikamura hadn't known _all_ of his secrets despite their friendship, but bit back the words before they slipped out. The poor girl didn't need to hear that on top of everything that was happening.

"Dad, do you really think this will change everything?" Domon asked. It wasn't mocking or challenging, but a genuinely curious question. "Will the other copies of your work really help?"

He rubbed his chin in thought, not contemplating the thought but adjusting to his son. It was still such a shock to see Domon so _tall_ , grown into a young man who could look him in the eye. He barely recognized any trace of the small, scabby-kneed, accident-prone little boy that had raced around the house with near-limitless energy. The scarred face, sharp chin and intense dark eyes could almost have belonged to a stranger, but even so, Raizo recognized his younger son.

Why then, did it feel like reconnecting with him would present such an insurmountable challenge, especially when Domon himself gave no indication of any distance between them?

"Again, that's the hope," he finally said. "It's doubtful whether or not this will completely alter the final outcome for Neo-Japan, of course. I imagine our country as a whole will still be expected to show some sort of recompense for what happened. But that's really the least of my concerns."

Surprise flitted across several faces.

"It—it isn't?" Domon asked. "Then what is?"

For the first time since his revival, Raizo Kasshu looked his youngest in the eye, meeting that intense gaze with his own fierce determination. When he spoke, his voice remained soft, but the bladed edge that lined his tone still came through.

"Our family," he said. "We have suffered enough heartache, and if nothing else, I hope to bring us some closure on this. I never intended for the work your mother and I did to cause such harm to anyone, especially not you and your brother." He glanced then to the rest of them in turn. "Or to any of you." His gaze stopped, resting at last on Rain. "And not to you either, Rain. I want to make certain that is known. The Ultimate Gundam was never built with the intent to harm. But without evidence of the original code or the planned tests we never had the opportunity to implement after completing it, then everyone—every nation—will be left to blindly cast aspersions about our family as a result. With proof, I hope to ease some of that. I imagine your newly-known status as leader of the newest Shuffle Alliance will insulate you from some of that, Domon, and I am willing to shoulder any blows to my own reputation. But...I don't want to see the impact of this sully the name of your mother. Her memory deserves far better than that."

"Yeah, and Kyoji too," Domon said, abruptly solemn.

"Yes," he agreed after a beat. "Kyoji too." He shut his eyes and continued to stroke his chin and beard as he thought, keeping his face as neutral as he could. "Is it really true that he crafted an android copy of himself from the...DG cells, and through it, joined up with you under the guise of fighting for Neo-Germany?"

He hadn't expected an immediate answer. He knew how terrible this heartbreak must still be for his son. Yet there was such a long pause after his words that he had to open his eyes and see what was happening. Shockingly, Domon was exchanging guarded, pained glances with his friends. The sight sent a brief spike of alarm through him, but then he recalled that these young fighters must all have encountered Kyoji—well, his android, anyway—under his pseudonym and eventually learned the truth as well. Regardless, he only relaxed when Rain spoke up to confirm, "Yes, he did."

Though he didn't miss her added whisper of, "And he died a hero, too."

"I see," he said, more to himself than anyone else. "Then that also gives me hope."

"Dad, is everything alright?" Domon asked, tapping his fingers anxiously at his sides. "Have you been alright? No one's...no one's been bothering you over this, have they?"

Raizo looked from those nervously tapping fingers to his son's face, only for Domon to cast his gaze to the side rather than meeting his eyes. Perhaps he hadn't changed much since childhood after all; not feeling comfortable enough to look someone directly in the eye, tapping his fingers and other hand fidgeting, he had done those since a very young age. Of course, another trait that came hand-in-hand with that was Domon had always been more observant of things around him than anyone had really given him credit for. Raizo tensed. Was it somehow possible that his son had seen him talking to one of the representatives from Neo-Germany? He wanted to think they'd been far more cautious than to be seen by anyone, but that had always been in doubt.

"No," he finally answered. "No, I've not been bothered more than is legally required of me to be."

"Did you want to come with us?" the American asked, and Raizo began wracking his brains to see if he could place the correct name to the young man. "Some of us were going to find a place to go talk about everything that's happened up to now. Compare notes, y'know?"

He hesitated, uncertain. There was a chance he could glean more from them that could prove useful, but right now the most pressing concern he had was slipping away to contact Stefan Busch from Neo-Germany and arranging an escort to their colony's gundam hangar at the first viable opportunity.

"Hold on," the young man with long, flowing ginger hair stepped in between Domon and the American, giving the impression he was used to being the voice of reason in scenarios like this one. "I'm not sure if it's entirely wise for a larger group of us to be seen together. The Shuffle Alliance alone may not draw much attention as we're expected to be a separate unit unto ourselves, but we should probably be aware of how often we're seen with everyone in one place while matters are still under investigation. Otherwise, media hounds may start whispering about collusion, and that will only make this worse for all of us."

At that, Raizo turned away and started to hunt for the nearest exit. The word "collusion" left a bad taste in his mouth and set his gut churning. The last thing he needed right this second was too many suspicious looks or questions dogging him. There was too much at stake to lose.

"Dad?" Domon called before he'd taken more than a handful of strides. He paused to look back and offered them all a tired smile.

"Don't worry about me," he said, waving a hand. "Your friend has the right idea, and I'll be able to catch up with you later. For now, I believe I just need to rest. I'll be at my room at the Hyatt if you need me."

He didn't stop to see if any of them acknowledged him, but trekked on, following the hall to where it eventually opened into a large foyer before branching into two separate wings on either side or the larger atrium dead ahead. Dozens of people milled about here, and the foot traffic left him weaving in and out of the sea of bodies. Keeping his head low and pulling his jacket tighter about him, he made his way towards the main doors, praying nobody with a news camera spotted him.

 _Don't be paranoid,_ he said to himself. _You'll give yourself away if you keep this up._

A hand touched his shoulder, making him start, and he spun to see Rain drawing back ever so slightly.

"Oh, s-sorry," she said apologetically. "I thought you might have heard me call the first two times."

He hadn't, and now was left to wonder if she'd followed him the entire way. The question though, was why? Was she worried for him, about him? Was she concerned over his relationship with Domon? Surely she wouldn't have followed him for a simple question or a casual chat. As he looked at her, regret, empathy and guilt warred in him.

"What's wrong, Rain?" he asked, not unkindly. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

She took a step back, eyes widening in surprise. Perhaps she hadn't expected the question and it flustered her.

"W-what? Oh, n-no. I'm sorry, Dr. Kasshu, please don't worry about me," she said quickly. "I know you mentioned wanting to go get some rest, and I don't want to keep you. But I had been thinking about everything you said up there, about the Da—the Ultimate Gundam...and I needed to know if it's possible for us to sit down sometime soon and talk more about, um…"

"About everything that's happened?" he suggested gently when her voice trailed off. "Yes, I think that at some point soon, that will prove not only necessary, but critical. As it stands, Rain, I may have need of your assistance in the very near future as well."

"You will?" she asked in surprise.

He gave a curt nod and leaned closer, dropping his voice low enough so they'd be less likely to be overheard. "There is a project that requires my attention and if it turns out to be what I hope it is, you'll be needed. However, I don't want anyone else knowing of it just yet, in the event it could turn out to be a false lead. Giving hope to anyone just to shatter it is too cruel. So please tell no one of this just yet, not even Domon."

"Not even—" she started to echo.

"Please, not even him," he said quickly. "Please Rain, can you do this for me?"

If there was any hesitation on her part, she didn't show it. "Yes, of course."

He sighed in relief, letting his shoulders sag.

"Thank you," he said, standing up tall again and slowly turning back towards the exit. "This means a lot to me. If it turns out you are needed, I'll be in touch."

She made no effort to stop him, but murmured a faint goodbye, and her footsteps vanished quickly among the sounds of the crowd as they parted ways. Raizo ducked his head again and moved as quickly as possible through the doors, hastening his stride and trying to avoid making eye contact with anyone as he took the marble steps down to the sidewalk and street below. He glanced up, caught a quick glimpse of a large crowd of newscasters and reporters clustered around the steps much further away, already hounding someone for details about the tribunal, and looked away again. He'd been intending to flag down a taxi—even on the Neo-American colony they seemed to be everywhere—but now with the chance that it could draw unwanted attention… He had no intention of being dogged by the press, and instead he kept walking, following the sidewalk away from the imposing building.

Inevitably his thoughts returned to both the contact from Neo-Germany, and to the tension he felt around his son and Rain as he walked. The former concern was more immediate; he needed to meet with them soon, to look into this discovery they spoke of. He knew he shouldn't get his hopes up, but he couldn't help the low sense of excitement churning in him. On the opposite end of things, however, he was so uncertain of how to move forward with Domon once this mess of a tribunal was done with—to say nothing of how he needed at some point to offer Rain a formal apology for the loss of her father and all of the things she had suffered since Ulube put his plans in motion.

As he wandered, his footsteps slowing and eyes not truly taking in the scenery around him while he mulled over these thoughts, he became aware that something was suddenly moving in his periphery. Asphalt crunched under wheels that rolled slower and slower to keep pace with his stride. Raizo risked a glance and took in the sleek black car with tinted windows, noting the tiny flags on the hood. One of the windows started to roll down and he quickly glanced away.

"Aren't you taking a bit of a risk, walking around out in the open where you can get bothered by them again?" Stefan Busch's voice hissed out at him from within the vehicle. "They could spot you at any second."

"Not as big of a risk as you, driving next to me in the open with a clearly marked car," he answered in a low voice, still keeping his eyes on the sidewalk ahead.

"Will you get in the car?"

"I think you've gleaned enough about me from our previous talk to guess I'm a cautious man. How about you reconsider the way you want to say this to me?"

There came an exasperated sigh. "Look, we have things to discuss. May I offer you a ride so that we can do so?"

Raizo was about to answer when he heard shouts behind him. Fearing the worst, he glanced back over his shoulder.

The young Shuffle Alliance had exited the building through the front doors, and naturally the media was pouncing on it. Whether they had opted to walk right into the crowd of reporters intentionally or not, Raizo couldn't say, nor was he of the opinion that it was a very clever move. The boys would be bombarded with question after question, and who could say for sure if they would be wise about how they answered?

Still, he felt some relief he hadn't been spotted yet. The first day or two had been bad enough when exiting, and he could only imagine it would be infinitely worse for him whenever word got out about what happened today. Try as the United Colonies Federation might to keep the proceedings quiet until decent progress was had, Raizo was positive his actions and words today would find their way to the news outlets before long.

"Well?" Stefan prompted.

Raizo stopped stalling and stepped closer, opening the side door of the car and slipping into the backseat in a single fluid movement.

"Alright then," he said, shutting the door behind him. "Let's talk."

* * *

 **A/N: I did not anticipate writing this chapter the way I did; I only wanted a brief scene following Dr. Kasshu for the chapter, but evidently he had Things To Say, and sort of took over completely, wearing what I can only assume are some badass "Take no prisoners, take no bullshit" sunglasses.**

 **For the record, it is interesting to note that in canon, despite how important his role in the story is even as a side character, Dr. Mikamura doesn't actually _have_ a listed canon first name. There was a brief stretch of time where I was considering turning it into a running gag that he had a first name but nobody could ever remember what it was and everyone always would suggest a different name for him, but while the joke is humorous in theory, I knew I couldn't implement it in this particular story and be satisfied with what I was doing. Hence, I found a name for him that I personally like and will be sticking with from now on.**


End file.
